UNFP Trophies : OL players shine - Women’s team : two-time French champions

Lyon, 15 May 2008

UNFP Trophies – awards for three players
French football’s UNFP trophies were awarded on 11 May 2008 to the game’s best players and managers in the 2007-08 season. Three Olympique Lyonnais players were among the winners.

  Karim Benzema, Ligue 1’s best player. A product of the OL Academy, Karim Benzema, in his first season as a regular, has scored 32 goals in all competitions combined and 19 in Ligue 1 alone. At 20 years of age, Karim Benzema has also been selected to play on the French national team.
This is the fourth consecutive year in which an OL player has received this trophy, after Malouda (2007), Juninho (2006) and Essien (2005).

  Hatem Ben Arfa, Ligue 1’s best young player. Aged 21, Hatem Ben Arfa has been wearing OL’s colours since 2002. Selected to play on the French national team for the first time this year, Hatem Ben Arfa scored six goals during the 2007-08 campaign.

  Sonia Bompastor, best player in women’s football. A member of the OL side since 2006-07, Sonia Bompastor had already brought home the “best player” award in 2004. Among the four players selected were two others from Lyon : Camille Abily and Louisa Necib.

2nd consecutive French Division 1 title for the women’s team.
With two matchdays to go before the season ends, the Olympique Lyonnais women’s team has clinched the Division 1 title for the second consecutive year.
On Tuesday 3 June, the French women’s champions will compete in the Coupe de France final against PSG, as will the men’s team.

Five young academy players in the final of the under-17 European championships
Several young players from the OL Academy have been selected to play in various international competitions during the month of May :

  Under-17 European championships : Sébastien Faure, Enzo Reale, Alexandre Lacazette, Clément Grenier and Yannis Tafer are now in Turkey where they will play in the European championships final.
Clément Grenier and Yannis Tafer, “golden boot” in this competition, have just signed their first professional contracts with OL.

  Elite round of the Under-19 European championships : Maxime Gonalons and Jeremy Pied.

  Young players’ tournament in Toulon : Anthony Mounier.